Can we Update Religion for the Anthropocene? - 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm, Feb 16, 2024

Hybrid Event - Dinner Board Room, Graduate Theological Union & Zoom (Registration required)

The scientific case for the Anthropocene has recently been established: humans are now the dominant geological force on the planet. One might expect the world’s religions (and their theologians) to be the most vocal in calling for action. Instead, in many countries they are at the forefront of climate change denial. This talk explores how theology and spirituality can be updated to guide our thoughts and actions through the Anthropocene. The resources are there in our traditions; it’s not hard to update and employ them more effectively.

Philip Clayton is the Ingraham Professor of Theology at Claremont School of Theology. He received a PhD from Yale University in philosophy and religious studies; has held guest professorships at Harvard, the University of Cambridge, and the University of Munich; and is the author or editor of several dozen books and over 300 articles and book chapters. Among his academic specializations are science and religion, comparative theology, the philosophy of religion, and ecotheology. His publications on the environmental crisis include What Is Ecological Civilization? (2019) and The New Possible: Visions of Our World Beyond Crisis (2020). Clayton is president of an international environmental organization, the Institute for Ecological Civilization (EcoCiv.org).

This event is sponsored by the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences (CTNS) at the Graduate Theological Union.